I suggested to the players that they could either create characters individually, or make some sort of a team - for example, Inspector Legrasse's Cthulhu Cult task force where each character would be associated with the police department in some way (detective, coroner etc.). After some deliberation, and some very good ideas on a thematic group (artists etc.), at the end of the day they decided to create their characters separately. Of course, some coordination was still necessary to make sure they had access to most of the investigative abilities between them. This approach is recommended in Trail of Cthulhu and I agree with it wholeheartedly.
So, without further ado, here are the investigators.
Ezekiel Root (Military) - A gator-hunter from Louisiana swamps. His family is belongs to a tight knit swamp community whose religion is some sort of mix of semi-Christianity and ancestor worship. The thing is their "church" is an island in the middle of the swamp and the ancestor spirits are very much something ancient and unnameable. Therefore, Ezekiel has been exposed to the Mythos a bit, although he speaks of these things in the terms of his swamp-cult heritage without really knowing what they are. Growing up Ezekiel wanted to distance himself from his family and their strange customs and his exodus eventually took him to Europe and WWI. He has since then returned back home to the swamp and makes his living hunting alligators. As a hunter and a veteran he is quite capable with both rifles and knives. Ezekiel's connection to Mister X is that they are distant cousins. Ezekiel has met the man several times and knows that he is interested in things resembling the swamp-cult's ancestor worship.
Mister Wo (adjusted Archaeologist) - The quintessential suspicious, foreign henchman from Lovecraft's stories, Mister Wo is Mister X's assistant in all things occult. He is of Iranian/Tibetan blood as his father used to serve as an occult assistant to a certain Englishman whose expeditions took him to Tibet among other places. Mister Wo followed in his father's footsteps and took his place as the Englishman's assistant and adviser. He is a learned man well versed in occultism and has some knowledge of the Mythos. He constantly uses different kinds of divination methods (Tarot, I ching, runes etc.) for advisement and foresight. Since the Englishman's death, Mister Wo has been in Mister X's employ for a year or so and he knows that the man has an interest in the occult, especially voodoo, but doesn't about his research into the Mythos.
Beau Thibodeaux (Dilettante) - This slightly overweight southern gentleman is an adviser and fixer to the local democratic politicians having ridden to power on the Kingfish's coattails. A shrewd character and a well-known political figure in the city, Beau is a man of considerable means. He is well connected both with the upper echelon of New Orleans society as well as some shady, scrupulous characters the former cannot afford to be associated with. He knows Mister X from about a year ago when he contacted Beau and offered means of getting some classified information. The details were left too vague for Beau's tastes and he has suspected ever since that this strange man might have had his hand in some people mysteriously disappearing without a trace. He has no knowledge of the Mythos what so ever.
Between them the investigators have most of the investigative abilities covered: Ezekiel Technical (Ezekiel), Academic (Wo), and Interpersonal (Beau).
From a gamemastering perspective Ezekiel's heritage and Wo's dabbling with sorcery and divination allow for interesting possibilities in foreshadowing what is to come as well as toying with their Mythos expectations/connections. Additionally, Beau's connections allow me to introduce NPCs when necessary.
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